Stephanie Higginson, newly-elected MLA for the BC NDP in Ladysmith-Oceanside, says she plans to reach out to build relationships with key stakeholders and get to work on the issues she heard about on voters' doorsteps, most prominently access to a family doctor.
“We really heard from folks about the impact of affordability right now, concerns about community safety and homelessness," Higginson said. "So working together with local governments on the issues around community safety and homelessness I think is critical."
Higginson won the district with 41.5 per cent (13,953 votes) of the electorate, ahead of Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Brett Fee with 35.5 per cent (11,953 votes), incumbent independent candidate Adam Walker with 16.4 per cent (5,501 votes) and B.C. Green Party candidate Laura Ferreira with 6.7 per cent (2,247 votes).
In the short term, she is focused on setting up an office and a staff. Higginson added she is starting "from scratch" since Ladysmith-Oceanside is a brand new riding.
She hopes for more clarity on whether she will be able to have an office both in the PQB area and Ladysmith.
“I have been very clear that it is an important priority for me as the representative,” Higginson added. “What we’ve learned in the past is making ourselves as available as possible. This is gonna take a little while to set up the infrastructure because it is a new riding, but people will able to book appointments."
Once a calendar of house sittings is established, the routines will become more clear, she said.
She was elected to the Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools board of education in 2014 and 2018, and is also a past-president of the B.C. School Trustees' Association. She did not run for re-election to the School District 68 board in 2022.
Higginson is looking forward to the "broader challenges" she will face as an MLA, compared to her time with the school board.
"It’s not just one specific issue around education, whereas this is multiple issues, almost every aspect of people’s lives,” she said. “In that role I really learned the value of building relationships and the value of collaboration. The value of being somebody who stands by their word that people can trust, and I think that I’m looking forward to taking those lessons and using them to help people."
What did she do the day after the election? Understandably, Higginson had some sleep and some rest to catch up on.
“I slept in and I went and I watched my son play sports," she said. "My kids are athletes, I hadn’t been able to see them all fall and it really filled my bucket to go and watch my son do what makes him happy and be outside, watching my kids — being a proud mom.”
Her expectation is the BC NDP will work with the other parties to get things done.
"The people put us into office to do the work," she added. "They didn’t put us in office to gum up the works, so I will work with all of my MLA colleagues."
Higginson said she is both honoured and humbled to be elected as MLA.
"My family is very supportive and I feel very fortunate for that and I also feel very fortunate that I live on the Island to do this role,” she said. “I just want to congratulate my two opponents on campaigns well run and I have a lot of respect for people who put their names forward for these type of roles. It’s tough and everybody fought really hard."
